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Thursday, May 7, 2015

New Comic Book May Help Kids With Asthma

Medikidz super heroes are experts in health and healing. They are featured in a new comic book series specifically aimed at helping kids understand their disease better. Their newest adventure is aimed at helping asthmatic kids understand a disease we are very familiar with here at the RT Cave: Pediatric Asthma.

According to the American Lung Association, Asthma is one of the most common disorders affecting children, affecting over 7.1 million under the age of 18. Of these, more than half, or 4.1 million, suffered from an asthma attack in 2011.

The disease prevents children from participating in activities they enjoy, and continues to be the leading cause of school days missed. This prevents kids from living a normal healthy life. And, as a former child asthmatic myself, I can honestly attest to this.

The good news is that once diagnosed, asthma can be both prevented and controlled. While physicians and parents can work together to find methods of controlling asthma, children must also be involved in this process. In other words, good asthma control means establishing an asthma care team involving the physician, the parent or guardian, and the child.

The best way to start the process of obtaining good asthma control is through education. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of adults to help adults better understand this disease, there are few resources for parents to engage their children about asthma.

Look! Kids need to be involved in their own care. It begins by being aware of your disease and what you need to do to prevent and control it. This is where the Medikidz superheroes come into play.

By parents joining with their kids, perhaps as a bedtime activity, the Medikidz comics will both educate and entertain, and ideally lead to an engaging discussion about asthma.

Medikidz U.S.A, with the help of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), have joined efforts in creating a comic book ideal for kids. It features the Medikids superheroes in a series of action packed comic books called "Medikidz Explain Asthma."

While the Medikidz adventures are fictional, they do an excellent job of showing kids -- and parents too -- what asthma is all about. It's a great tool for parents to engage their kids in discussions about asthma.